Declaration of the Fifth ASEAN Health Ministers

Proclaimed at the Fifth ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 28–29, 2000. Below, some portions of the Declaration have been excerpted and others summarized. The full text of the Declaration is available via the Internet: http://www.asean.or.id/function/ahmm_dec.htm.

"WE, the Ministers of Health of ASEAN Member Countries, representing Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam;

"RECALLING that the ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the 2nd Informal Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997, envisioned ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability, and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies;

"SUPPORTIVE of the need to promote social development and address the social impact of the financial and economic crisis as outlined in the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) implementing ASEAN Vision 2020 and adopted during the 6th ASEAN Summit held in Hanoi in December 1998;

"RESPONDING to the call of the Hanoi Declaration adopted by the Sixth ASEAN Summit held in Hanoi in December 1998 that we shall, together, make sure that our people are assured of adequate medical care and access to essential medicines and that cooperation shall be stepped up in the control and prevention of communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS;

"FULLY AWARE that, despite significant progress made in uplifting the quality of life of individuals in our region, health problems continue to be associated with poverty and are increasingly associated with urbanisation, industrialisation, environmental pollution, lifestyle diseases, and stress-related conditions;

"RECOGNIZING the need to prepare the health sector for the challenges and opportunities arising from globalisation and trade liberalisation;

"ENCOURAGED by the notable progress made by the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Health and Nutrition and the ASEAN Task Force on AIDS in formulating action plans and programmes and in implementing regional activities on health, despite funding constraints;

"DO HEREBY AGREE, IN THE SPIRIT OF ASEAN SOLIDARITY AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE, TO STRENGTHEN ASEAN COOPERATION ON HEALTH TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, BY ADOPTING THE FOLLOWING FRAMEWORK:"

Guiding Principles

1. "Emphasize health as a fundamental right of our peoples;
2. "Health development is a shared responsibility and must involve greater participation and empowerment of the people, communities, and institutions;
3. "ASEAN cooperation shall strive to achieve social justice and equity in health development and solidarity in action towards a healthy paradigm that emphasizes health promotion and disease prevention;
4. "Political commitment to strengthen and intensify ASEAN cooperation in health development and to mobilise resources at the national, regional, and international levels must derive from the highest level of policy and governance;
5. "ASEAN cooperation in health development must be guided by well-defined and focused strategic policies which emphasize the regional perspective and value-added element in all undertakings, while keeping in mind the specific development requirements of Member Countries; and
6. "The organizational machinery for pursuing ASEAN cooperation in health development must be strengthened to achieve better coordination and integration across related development sectors."

Mission

The Declaration states the mission of the signatory nations to include strengthening regional cooperation to ensure health, advocating to promote increased awareness of health issues, and ensuring the availability of health care and health-related products and services.

Strategies

The Declaration specifies various strategies to support these goals, including "greater emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention" and the intensification of "human resources development."

Program of Action

A series of steps are outlined in order to carry out the goals and principles of the Declaration, including the implementation of existing ASEAN plans and programs, an effort to "address the impact of globalisation/trade liberalisation on the health sector," and strengthening the mechanisms for collaboration among the ASEAN nations.